IJscuypje

What IJscuypje does

IJscuypje is an artisanal ice cream retailer founded in 2007 in Amsterdam's De Pijp neighborhood near the Albert Cuypmarkt, operating 23 retail points across the Netherlands through a hybrid model of six company-owned Amsterdam stores and 17 franchise locations (10 in Amsterdam, 7 in other Dutch cities including Rotterdam, Tilburg, and Zwolle). The company serves individual consumers via walk-in, impulse-purchase retail transactions, with a seasonal operating window of roughly March through October.

The product portfolio centers on four core formats: roomijs (cream ice cream), sorbetijs formulated at 60% fruit content, yoghurtijs, and shakes, complemented by hoorntjes (cones). Specialty flavors reference Dutch culinary heritage — stroopwafel, lange vingers, kletskoppen — and the cream ice cream line is built on Jersey milk sourced from a single supplier, Weerribben Zuivel in Overijssel, which was formalized as part of the brand's artisanal positioning in 2017. The technical stack is traditional and production-focused rather than technology-driven.

The business model is a mix of direct retail (owned stores) and franchise replication. Consumer pricing is anchored around the IJscuypje App loyalty program, which prices 15 scoops at €35 (approximately €2.33/scoop), replacing a paper loyalty system discontinued in 2018. Headcount stands at 34 employees, supporting both owned-store operations and franchise oversight. The company is privately held with no institutional investors disclosed, and the unit economics are not publicly reported; revenue recognition across the system combines owned-store retail sales with franchise fees, while the seasonal operating window concentrates the revenue-generating period into roughly eight months of the year.

Name

IJscuypje

Legal name

IJscuypje

Website

https://ijscuypje.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IJscuypje is an Amsterdam-based artisanal ice cream chain operating 23 retail locations across the Netherlands through 6 company-owned stores and 17 franchise points. It serves individual consumers with Dutch-specialty flavors produced from single-farm Jersey milk sourced via Weerribben Zuivel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Ice Cream Retail

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts (CRADACAE)

Keywords

• Artisanal ice cream
• Ice cream retail
• Frozen desserts
• Ice cream franchise
• Dairy confectionery

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ice Cream Retail Sales: Direct retail sales of artisanal ice cream through company-owned and franchise stores. Revenue generated from individual ice cream purchases (scoops, cones, shakes) at point of sale. Seasonal model with peak season March-October.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IJscuypje produces and retails artisanal ice cream made from Jersey milk sourced exclusively from Weerribben Zuivel dairy farm in Overijssel. The product range spans Roomijs (cream ice cream), Sorbetijs (60% fruit dairy-free), Yoghurtijs, Shakes, and waffle cones, sold through 6 company-owned and 17+ franchise locations across the Netherlands, primarily during the March–October ice cream season.

Product overview

IJscuypje is an artisan ice cream company founded in Amsterdam in 2007, operating as both a direct retail chain and franchise concept with 20+ locations. The product portfolio centers on five core ice cream offerings: Roomijs (cream ice made from Jersey milk), Sorbetijs (60% fruit dairy-free sorbet), Yoghurtijs (yogurt-based ice), Shakes (customizable milk shakes), and Hoorntjes (waffle cones). The company operates with a digital loyalty program through the IJscuypje App, which serves as both a customer loyalty mechanism and store locator. All products are crafted artisanally using ingredients sourced from their partner Weerribben Zuivel organic dairy farm in Overijssel, with Jersey milk providing the base for cream-based products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roomijs (Ice Cream) Premium ice cream made from Jersey milk sourced from Weerribben Zuivel farm in Overijssel, available in 24+ flavors including classics (vanilla, hazelnut, chocolate, pistache) and Dutch specialties (stroopwafel, lange vingers, kletskoppen, boerenjongens, speculaas). Sold by the scoop in IJscuypje stores.
• Sorbetijs (Sorbet) Dairy-free sorbet made with 60% pure fruit and natural sugars, without dairy additions. Suitable for vegans and those avoiding dairy. Flavor range includes strawberry, pineapple passion fruit, lemon, raspberry, mango, and chocolate.
• Yoghurtijs (Yogurt Ice) Yogurt-based ice cream prepared with traditional standing yoghurt from organic Weerribben dairy farm. Available in plain yogurt, yogurt with soft cherry, and yogurt with yuzu varieties.
• Shakes Milkshakes available in standard flavors (vanilla, strawberry, banana, chocolate) or customizable with a base of regular milk, soy milk, yogurt, sparkling water, or kombucha.
• Hoorntjes (Waffle Cones) Classic crispy waffle cones served with a scoop of ice cream. Options include traditional cones, chocolate-dipped cones, nut-topped cones, and vegan variants, plus gluten-free and lactose-free cone options.
• IJscuypje App (Digital Loyalty) Mobile loyalty app for Android and iOS featuring a digital bollenkaart (scoop pass). Customers register, receive a QR code scannable in stores to add credit, and redeem at a rate of 15 scoops of ice cream for €35.00. Includes a store locator for finding nearby IJscuypje locations. Replaced the discontinued paper loyalty card in 2018/2019.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Weerribben ZuivelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeerribben Zuivel is a dairy farm located at the edge of National Park Weerribben-Wieden in Overijssel, Netherlands. The farm includes livestock operations and an artisanal dairy factory. They supply Jersey milk exclusively to IJscuypje for all ice cream production. The partnership emphasizes animal welfare with cows spending most of the year outdoors and access to self-determined milking. Jersey milk has different protein composition and naturally higher fat content, providing creamier ice cream texture.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ijscuypjeamsterdam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ijscuypje

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IJscuypje